Background

The single storey flat roof to the Civil Engineering Department (adjacent to Woodhouse Lane) was in need of repair and an upgrade. The roof incorporated several original concrete barrel vaults with small glazing bricks cast within its structure which provided very little thermal performance and which were a source of water ingress into the rooms below.

The client, the University of Leeds, sought to upgrade the waterproofing and thermal performance of the roof and so appointed Watershed (Roofing) Limited to carry out the works.

Challenge

The existing concrete barrel vaults were to be encapsulated as part of a new synthetic single ply warm roof waterproofing system. The project required application of the system over the curved barrel vaults which required considerable skill to ensure step offs between board joints were kept to a minimum maintaining as smooth a curve as possible.

Solution

The gutter sections between the barrel vaults were lined with new plywood prior to installation of the new warm roof system. Icopal’s Total Torch vapour control layer was initially installed prior to receiving Thermazone Roofboard insulation adhered using a PUR adhesive. Application of the insulation involved the boards being cut into smaller sections to accommodate the curvature of the barrel vaults. The insulation was immediately waterproofed with the application of Monarplan GF Fleeceback PVC single-ply roofing membrane.

The teaching rooms below now benefit from a water tight and more thermally efficient roof to give the engineering school many years of trouble free service, which is covered by a 20 year insurance-backed guarantee.